Hetalia in the Country of Hearts
by Amaia-Sinblood
Summary: What if Alice is really Belarus? She wants to get back to her friends and family, so when a familiar face lands in the Country of Hearts, will it be her chance to get home, or will both of them be stuck there? Even worse, there are some people who are not willing to let the both of them go.
1. Welcome to Wonderland

**Summary: **When Blood brought Alice back to the Country of Hearts, Nightmare never expected her to remember who she really is, but she did. 'Alice' likes her new life in the Country of Hearts, but she likes her old life better, so when a familiar face appears in the Country of Hearts, will it be her chance to escape, or will they both be stuck there? Even worse, some of the residents don't want to let the both of them leave.

**I came up with this story idea when I was looking at some fanart for **Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice**. I saw some comments about how Alice looks like Belarus from **Hetalia: Axis Powers**, and she kind of does.**

**I want to make a few notes. First off, Belarus is Alice, and the reason she talks with an English accent instead of her usual accent will be revealed in the story. Second, since Belarus will be OOC at times is because she will have some of Alice's personality traits for reasons that will also be explained in the story. Lastly, I have only watched some of the **Hetalia: Axis Powers **anime and only read the **Alice in the Country of Hearts **and some of the **Hetalia: Axis Powers **manga, so I am sorry in advance if some things seem a bit AU or are not correct.**

**Pairings:**

**Main:**

Boris x Belarus/Alice  
US x UK

**Side:**

Gerita, RoChu, SuFin, DenNor, Giripan

Elliot x Pierce (From the little I know of the games, Pierce calls Elliot 'Elli-Chan', which I think is adorable. Plus, I like the pairing.)

**Since everyone in the Country of Hearts loves outsiders, the story will also have some one-sided pairings with the two main characters, Belarus/Alice and England.**

**Belarus/Alice:**

Peter (I was going to have him go after England, but decided not to since he is one of the people who brought Belarus/Alice to the Country of Hearts and is so obsessed with her.)

Blood (He is the one who brought her back to the Country of Hearts.)

Ace (He seems obsessed with listening to her heartbeat.)

Russia (She wouldn't be Belarus if she wasn't obsessed with her brother.)

**England:**

Julius (They seem similar, but they are also different. England seems like the kind of person Julius would not be annoyed by, and I can see him liking England.)

Blood (Like I said, I only read the Alice in the Country of Hearts manga, and from what I gathered of Blood's personality, he seems like the type of person who would want to possess both the outsiders.)

Ace (Since he is obsessed with Alice's heartbeat, I figured he would be interested in Iggy's as well.)

France (I am a Fruk shipper too, so I have to add some Fruk in this story.)

**Anyway, sorry for the long introduction, but I needed to explain all of that.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers or Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice, those rights belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Quin Rose respectively.

* * *

_A young man with striking green eyes, short blonde hair and bushy eyebrows watches as a tall man with light blonde hair and purple eyes paces in front of him. He's getting slightly annoyed and in most cases would have voiced it, but he can see that the man is very troubled. Also, the man is Russia. England may be a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. No one in their right mind would speak against Russia._

_So he watches as Russia paces around a few more times before finally stopping and turning to look at him. England is shocked to see the desperate look on his face. _

_"I need your help." This shocks England even more. In all the years he has known him, Russia has rarely ever asked anyone for help. So for him to ask for help, it must be something pretty serious. _

_"What do you need help with?"_

_"My little sister is missing."_

_"You mean Belarus?"_

_"Yes. I haven't seen her for months, which is strange."_

_Indeed it is. Every country knows of Belarus' obsession with her older brother. She is pretty much glued to his side almost all of the time, so for her to not contact her brother for months is strange._

_"Is that why she hasn't been at any of the world meetings lately?" Everyone just thought that her boss got tired of sending her to world meetings where nothing is ever really accomplished. Though, now that he thinks of it, even if her boss tried to tell her to stop coming to meetings, she would have ignored him (despite the fact that she likes her manager) in favor of protecting her brother from anyone who tries to get too close or says anything bad about him. _

_"Yes. So can you help me, da?" _

_"Wouldn't it be easier if we also asked the other nations for help? After all, the world is a big place."_

_"No. It's not like they would care, so I figured it would be easier to ask you for help since you could use your magic to find her."_

_"That's true, but I thought you didn't believe in magic?"_

_"Oh I don't, but I figured I would give it a try, da." Russia says, a desperate tone in place of his usual innocent tone._

_He must be really worried about Belarus despite the fact that she scares him with her obsession over him. England feels a pang in his chest. He knows what it's like to care for a sibling. Belarus may scare him, but Russia loves his sister enough to try and make sure she is alright. Just like he tries to make sure America is alright even though he left him. _

_"Alright, I'll help you."_

_"Okay. Let me know when you find her. I would stay to help, but my boss is keeping me busy..."_

_"I understand." They may be the personifications of their countries, but their bosses are the ones who call the shots._

_Once Russia is gone, England closes his eyes. He doesn't really need anything for the locator spell he's going to use. He simply needs to close his eyes and feel for Belarus. Wherever she is, he'll be able to see it. It may take a few tries, but he's doing this for Russia's sake. He may be scared of him like everybody else, but that doesn't mean he is going to ignore him when he needs help. Plus, the fact that Belarus is missing is troubling. Nations have to stick together even if they may not get along with each other._

_On the plus side, he knows she is alive since her country has not fallen. On the other hand, she could be hurt._

_It is plausible since Belarus has not been the best lately. Whatever happens to Natalia affects Belarus and vice versa._

_This thought prompts him to work faster. Who knows where Belarus is and what is happening to her._

_He feels around for a few more minutes, but finds nothing. Just when he's about to give up though, he gets something. He sees a vial with a heart shaped lid. The vial is empty. Strange. Whenever he uses the locator spell, he usually gets names of places or will see landscapes that give him clues as to where the person is. This is the first time he has ever been shown an object, but he figures that this vial must be a vital clue to finding Belarus._

_As if hearing his thoughts, a giant hole opens up under him. He yells in shock as he feels himself falling, then blacks out. _

* * *

"I think he's coming to." England hears someone say. The voice seems familiar. Whoever it is sounds excited.

Despite his headache, he slowly forces his eyes open to find five people staring at him.

"Are you alright?" The familiar voice he heard earlier asks. Turning his head to see who is speaking to him, he locks eyes with a face he hasn't seen in a while. Belarus. There is no doubt in his mind that it's her. He would recognize those familiar blue-violet eyes and the dress she always wears anywhere. The only thing about her that is different is her hair. It's darker, almost brown. Oh, and that smile. He's slightly creeped out at the fact that she is actually smiling at him. She only smiles like that at Russia while glaring at everyone else, daring them to get near her precious brother.

"N-natalia...is that you...?"

Belarus smiles while the other four look at him in confusion. Why are they looking at him like that?

"Yes, it's me." She says, rushing forward and practically tackling him in a hug. "Oh Arthur, am I ever glad to see you!"

He is shocked at the fact that not only did she hug him, but that she is speaking with an English accent instead of her native countries accent. She's acting very different from her usual self right now.

"How did you get here anyway?"

He turns his attention back to Belarus. She looks so happy to see him.

"Your brother has been worried about you, so he asked if I could use my..." England glances over at their company. "special skills to find you."

Belarus perks up at this. "Big brother is worried about me!?"

"Of course."

"Um..." A voice interrupts them. Turning to the four who have been standing and watching us talk, he can see they look confused. His eyes also widen as he notices one of the guys has..._rabbit ears!?_

That's weird, even for him. How did he not notice that before? Then again, all he did was glance at them. His attention has been focused on Belarus.

"Alice, what's going on?" The guy with the rabbit ears asks. He has shoulder length, blondish-brown hair and purple eyes.

The guy next to him also has shoulder length hair, but his is black, and blue eyes. The last two people are twins. They kind of remind him of the Italy brothers. They both have the same short black hair, but one of them has blue eyes and the other has red eyes. They are also both much younger than the other two men, who look to be in their early to mid twenties.

Something he also noticed, why did that guy with the rabbit ears call Belarus Alice?

"This is...an acquaintance of mine. He is from my world." Belarus says.

"Then does that mean..." The blue eyed twin says, looking at him curiously.

"Yes. He's an outsider." Now they are all looking at him curiously, especially the one with the top hat.

"So he must be the new player in the game then." The top hat guy says.

Belarus tenses up, turning to look at him. "Did you find a vial full of liquid? If so, please tell me you didn't drink it."

"No, I didn't find any vial, and even if I did, you know I am not stupid enough like someone we know to drink something when I don't know what it is." Vial. That sounds familiar. Is she talking about the same vial I saw when I used the locator spell?

Belarus sighs in relief. "That's true. For once, I'm glad you are so smart and cautious."

"If he didn't drink from the vial, then does that mean he is not a player?" The red eyed twin asks.

"It would seem so, though that probably won't last for long since most outsiders who come here always end up as players in the game." Top hat guys says.

Belarus tenses up again. Why is she so concerned?

"Um...what do you mean by game, and where exactly is here?"

"You're in the Wonderland, the Country of Hearts to be more specific." Rabbit ear guys says.

"Wonderland? You mean like the book Alice in Wonderland?"

"Not really. As you explore more of this world, you'll see how different it is from the Alice in Wonderland book." Belarus says.

"The Alice in Wonderland book? Alice, you have a book named after you?" The blue eyed twin asks.

"No. Alice in Wonderland is a book in my world that has some similarities to your world, but is also way different. I was actually reading the book with my sister before I was kidnapped and brought here, which is why I thought this was a dream."

At the mention of the word sister, the four give her a look. Belarus must know why they are looking at her like that because she smirks at them, which causes them to look wide-eyed at her. This is not the usual behavior of the 'Alice' they know.

"You mean Ukraine? That's nice you two are spending time together."

"How is she?"

"I haven't really seen her lately, so I don't know. She must be pretty freaked about your disappearance though."

"Oh... well, as for brother, I didn't think he would care that much..."

England wraps her in a hug, gaining glares from the four watching them. What's their problem? "Of course he cares. You may scare him a bit, but he's still your brother."

"Excuse me..." Top hat guys interrupts. "What are you two talking about? Alice, you have your memories about your sister now..."

Before he can say anything more, Belarus interrupts him. "Those memories were a lie created by Nightmare."

"What?" Rabbit ear guys asks. They all look at Belarus in confusion, but she ignores them.

"So brother sent you to find me?"

"Yeah, but can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why are they calling you Alice? That's not your name."

"What do you mean that's not her name, of course it is! Who is this guy anyway?" Rabbit ear guy yells angrily.

"I told you already. He's a friend of mine from my world. His name is Arthur Kirkland. He's also correct. Alice is not my real name. My real name is Natalia."

The four look at her with wide-eyes. "Really? Why did you lie to us about your name?"

"I didn't lie. As I said earlier, Nightmare created false memories. He made me think I was a girl named Alice Liddell and that my older sister was dead, but she isn't. When I went back to my world, I re-gained my real memories and was just about to find my friends and family when Blood," Belarus points at top hat guy, now known as Blood. "kidnapped me again."

"So your name is Natalia and your older sister is still around?" Rabbit ear guys asks.

"Yes, Elliot. That's why I have been trying to play the game again, so I can get back to my friends and family."

"So that's why you spend a lot of time wandering the Country of Hearts. You have been trying to go home." Blood says, a hint of anger on his face. The other three are looking sadly at Belarus.

"Don't you like it here Alice, err...Natalia?" Rabbit ear guy, now known as Elliot, asks. He is pouting, which is kind of cute.

"It is nice here, and I have met some great friends, but I need to get back to my world. Back to my friends and family." More importantly, her country. He can tell that is also a main factor in her wanting to get home.

"So they are more important than us?" The blue eyed twin asks, looking sad.

"Of course not Dee! It's just that...they need me more." So the kids name is Dee. Like Tweedle Dee?

"We need you too!" The red eyed twin yells.

"No you don't Dum. You were all doing just fine until I came along." Somehow he knew this twins name would be Dum. As in Tweedle Dum.

"Yes we do!" They both yell.

"No, you don't. You wouldn't understand how much I am needed back home."

"Too good for us I see?" Blood says, causing Belarus to roll her eyes.

"Really Blood? I thought we were past you directing your anger to me, but I guess not."

"I'm not angry. I'm just stating facts bluntly. From what you have said, you would rather go back to the friends and family in your world than stay here."

"You know what, whatever. I'm not even going to argue with you since no matter what I say, you will not believe me anyway."

Most people don't dare to argue with Belarus not only because her older brother is Russia, but because she herself is scary. However, this Belarus seems a bit different. She hasn't even pulled her knife on this Blood guy yet.

Blood says nothing, but he does glance back at me before simply turning around and walking away. The other three follow, but look back at Belarus hesitantly.

Belarus ignores them, grabbing my arm and pulling me off in the opposite direction.

"Let's go to the clock tower."

"The clock tower?"

"It's where I've been staying while I have been in this world. A man named Julius is the boss of the place and he let me stay there. It's a neutral territory."

"Oh, okay."

* * *

**If you have any ideas for characters I did not pair up yet, just leave them in a review or message me. I'm not going to change characters already paired up because the pairings I'm doing are my favorites. **


	2. Meeting Julius

**I'm going to refer to England/UK as England when I use his country name because I never know whether to call him England or UK, so I figure it will just be easier to use what most people call him. **

**I came up with another pairing idea:**

Ace x Julius (I think their relationship is a bit cute at times, and Julius is the only one besides Alice that Ace concerns himself with.)

**I forgot to put Spamano as one of the pairings in the last chapter. **

**This chapter will contain a bit of an OOC Russia and Ukraine. Also, sorry if the description of the inside of the clock tower is not accurate, but I have only seen a bit of it in the Manga.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers or Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice, those rights belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Quin Rose respectively.

* * *

Belarus is pulling his arm so hard that he feels like it is going to be ripped right out of its socket if she doesn't let up soon.

"Belarus, let go! You're going to pull my arm right out of its socket if you don't slow down!" Arthur yells, startling Belarus.

"What...?" Belarus stops, looking at the tight grip she has on Arthur's arm. Her eyes widen and she drops his arm immediately.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pull your arm so hard, I was just lost in my thoughts."

Arthurs eyes widen, never expecting that she would apologize, but then again he never expected her to hug him either, but she did. What exactly happened to her in this world? Her personality seems more tame than the Belarus he remembers.

"Oh...err...it's okay, we all get lost in our thoughts..." Arthur says awkwardly, not really knowing how to respond to this seemingly new Belarus, but then again, he never really knows how to respond to Belarus in general, different or not.

"Right...well anyways, it looks like we made it to the clock tower while I was lost in my thoughts." Belarus says, turning to the right and looking at something.

Arthur turns as well to see what she is looking at. The sight before him is a tall, cylindrical tower with numbered pillars and a village surrounding it. It is quite impressive, but being as old as he is, he has seen better.

"Welcome to the clock tower. We should head inside and see if Julius is home, which he most likely is. I know you must have questions, but wait until we get inside to ask." Belarus says, muttering what sounds like 'workaholic' under her breath and dragging him into the tower.

* * *

Arthur Kirkland. The name has a nice ring to it, and the person himself is not bad looking either. Pale skin, short, messy blonde hair and beautiful green eyes. He would probably look even better if he got rid of those bushy eyebrows. But it is not his looks that interest him. No. It is the mysteriousness surrounding his appearance. He shows up out of nowhere and he happens to know Alice, then it was revealed that her real name is Natalia and that she has re-gained her memories. There is also something about this Arthur character that seems intriguing. He would like to get to know him better.

"I wonder if Nightmare knows of this new development. He seems to know everything that goes on, so he must. Still, I think I should make sure he does. I may need his help for certain...things."

"And what are these certain things?" Nightmare. He must have been spying again.

Indeed as Blood turns to look behind him, he see's Nightmare along with his Gray Ringmarc, who is almost always found by Nightmare's side.

"Nightmare, I should have known you were spying on me, but I'm glad you're here. I need your help again."

"Let me guess, you found out Alice has been trying to go home again, so you want me to help you keep her here." Nightmare says, a knowing look on his face.

"I'm not surprised you know that Alice was trying to leave, but yes, that is what I need your help with. Also, I wanted to tell you that something interesting happened today." Blood says, trying to read Nightmare as he says this, but his calm facial expression is giving nothing away.

"Oh, what happened?"

"Another foreigner appeared in Wonderland today, a guy who knows 'Alice.'" Blood says, making sure to put emphasis on 'Alice.'

He may not of got a reaction out of Nightmare before, but he did now. Nightmare is staring at him with wide eyes while Gray looks confused, looking at Nightmare with a bit of concern. He probably thinks Nightmare is going to puke blood or faint with how pale he is right now.

"A foreigner that knows Alice? Did he tell you his name?" Nightmare asks, trying not to look frantic, but failing.

"He said his name is Arthur Kirkland."

Nightmare pales even further.

"This is not good."

Blood frowns. "What do you mean? Do you know him?"

Nightmare nods. "I do. I met him some years ago."

"Wait, then does that mean he has been to Wonderland before?"

"No, this is his first time visiting Wonderland."

"Then how did you meet him?" Blood asks, thinking about what Nightmare told him. He has met this Arthur Kirkland before, but not in Wonderland. If that is the case, then that would mean he had to have met Arthur in his world, which is plausible since Nightmare is the only one in Wonderland that can travel to other worlds like Alice's.

"That's correct. I met him in his world." Nightmare says, reading his mind.

"You know, it's really annoying when you do that."

Nightmare just waves a dismissing hand at him, looking more calm now than he had before, which brings him to another question.

"Why were you so panicky earlier?"

"Oh, that. Well, I had a feeling you were going to tell me that the foreigner is Arthur. Also, the way you said Alice's name suggests that she has her real memories back." Nightmare says, looking nervous.

"Now that you mention it, she did say that you did something to her memories and confessed that her real name is Natalia."

"So it's just as I feared." Nightmare says, looking as if someone just told him he has to go to the hospital.

"What is?"

"I gave Natalia fake memories when Peter brought her to Wonderland. I'm sure she has told you that I made her think she was a girl named Alice and that her sister is dead."

"Yeah, why did you do that anyway?"

"I have my reasons. As I was saying, I had a feeling that when you brought her back to Wonderland, she re-gained her memories. From what you have told me, it looks like I was right. I must say though, she did a pretty good job of hiding it."

"Hiding what, her secret?"

"Partially, yes."

"What do you mean partially?"

"You'll see." Nightmare says mysteriously as he walks out of Blood's office, a confused Gray following him.

Blood sighs, wondering what Nightmare meant by that. More importantly though, Nightmare never said whether or not he would help him keep Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

Germany sighs, walking into the room where the world meeting is being held to see a sight that he is not in the least bit surprised by: nations fighting. Like usual, America is yelling something about creating a giant superhero to save the world from global warming. Japan agrees with him, which has Switzerland yelling at him to state his own opinion. China is offering everyone snacks, Prussia, who must have snuck into the meeting again, is yelling about how awesome he is, Canada is being invisible (he almost didn't notice him), France is being perverted, Norway is choking Denmark with his tie while trying to get Iceland to call him big brother, Finland is nervously watching everyone argue with Sweden sitting next to him quietly, Spain is trying to hug Romano, who pushes him away, and Italy is talking about pasta. As for the other nations, they, like Finland, are watching the other nations argue, except for Greece, who like usual, is sleeping.

However, he can't help but feel like something is different, but what could it be? He gets his answer as he looks to where the three Baltic states are staring at Russia. Now this is not unusual, but normally they stare at him in fear, not concern. Looking at Russia, Germany is shocked to see that he is not smiling his usual innocent smile and he is not scaring people. In fact, if he didn't know any better, it looks like Russia is...worried? But that can't be, Russia doesn't worry about anything. Another thing he noticed is that while France is being his usual perverted self, he is looking around the room as if he is searching for something.

Come to think of it, Germany doesn't see England (who would be arguing with France by now) anywhere, which is weird since England is always on time to meetings.

First things first, if he wants answers, he will have to get everyone under control.

Slamming his hands on the table, Germany yells. "Everyone shut up!"

Like usual, it works as every nation stops fighting and turns their attention to him.

"Germany!" Italy yells, waving to him excitedly.

"Hey Italy." Germany says, trying not to blush. He turns his attention to the other nations. "Does anyone know where England is?"

The other nations minus France, who noticed his usual arguing partner is missing, and Russia, who perks up a bit at the mention of England, look around the room as if just noticing England is missing.

"Hey, wait a minute, where is Iggy?" America says loudly, now looking worried.

"It is not like him to be late." Japan comments. Germany can tell he is worried despite his usual blank face.

"Yes, usually he's on time. Does anyone know where he is?" Germany asks, looking around at all the nations.

"No."

"How would I know where he is, potato bastard."

"Nope."

"This is weird. Where could he be?"

"What if he is in trouble!? Don't worry Iggy, your hero will save you!" America shouts over everyone.

America can imagine it now. He will rush in and defeat the bad guy holding _his_ Iggy captive. England will be so grateful and swoon at how manly and heroic he is.

"...to see him?" Germany's voice brings him out of his daydream.

"Huh, what'd ya say?" America asks, confused. The other nations sigh, knowing America spacing out is a normal thing, especially when it concerns his former caretaker.

"I said, who was the last person to see England?" Germany repeats.

"I don't Know."

"It wasn't me."

"Or me."

"I haven't seen him since the last world meeting."

"I saw him recently." Everyone's heads whip around to look at Russia.

America is the first to react.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM!?" America yells, grabbing Russia by the collar. The nations back away from the two superpowers. Only America is stupid enough to pick a fight with the scary Russian. With his strength and Russia's pipe, things could get ugly.

So it's surprising when all Russia does is pry America's hands off his collar and calmly says. "Calm down comrade. All I did was ask for his help with something."

Hearing this calms America down a little, but he still looks ready to hit Russia should he say something he doesn't like.

"What did you need his help for?" France asks the taller nation with caution.

The nations are shocked when Russia stiffens, turning away from them. "That is my business."

America glares at him. "Listen, this is no time for secrets! England might be in trouble, so whatever information you can give us might be helpful!"

"I hate to say it, but the idiot is right." France says, causing America to yell "Hey!" at him.

The nations watch as Russia slowly turns towards them, a shocking look on his face: Worry. None of them had ever seen the scary nation look so worried and anxious, which means that whatever is making him worried, it must be very serious.

"Brother...What's wrong?" Russia's older sister, Ukraine, steps forward, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulder. Russia gives his sister a sad smile.

"It's about Belarus."

"Oh." Ukraine says, suddenly quiet.

Everyone looks at the siblings confused.

"What about Belarus, aru?" China asks softly.

Ukraine looks at them. "She has been missing for a few months now. I was reading to her, but she got bored and fell asleep. When she woke up, we decided to play cards, so I went in the house to get the deck, but when I came back out she was gone. We don't know where she went, and she hasn't contacted us."

The nations eyes widen. One of their own is missing? Sure, most of them may not like Belarus because she is a bit psychotic (A bit? Okay, very psychotic), but that doesn't mean they aren't concerned for her. The nations may have wars and disputes with one another, but they still have to stick together. If Russia and Ukraine were to hear their thoughts right now, they would scoff and say 'yeah right, like you care about her.'

"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Germany demands. He is usually the leader in situations like this.

Russia's smile darkens, causing the nations to back away in fear. Germany tries not to show how scared he is when Russia turns his gaze on him.

"Would you really have believed us, da?"

"What is that supposed to mean!?" America asks, annoyed. Just what is Russia implying?

"I know you're an idiot comrade, so I will explain. It's as simple as this: we nations never really concern ourselves with each other's problems unless it's an immediate concern. Also, we have a bad habit of brushing off what we say to each other as nothing, so again, would you really have believed us if we told you?"

Everyone seems a bit shocked (some a bit insulted, but they know it's true) at this statement, however, nothing is more shocking to them than what the usually nice Ukraine says next.

"Plus, would you really have helped us search for her? We know you are afraid of both her and Russia, and think she is psychotic and that I am a cry-baby who over-exaggerates. We saw no need to inform you as we knew it was pointless. You all wouldn't have been bothered to help us, even if we are fellow nations. The only ones who would have helped us are Hungary and Liechtenstein because they are my friends, but I didn't want to trouble them."

An awkward silence settles in the room, everyone minus Russia, Hungary and Liechtenstein gaping at Ukraine (they have all seen this side of her). Never once in all the years that they have known Ukraine have they ever heard her say something so harsh. They want to be insulted by what she said, but they look away, knowing it to be true.

"I thought so." Ukraine says, her eyes dark. No one says anything, just goes back to their seats for one of the most silent world meetings the nations ever had.

* * *

"Julius, I'm back and I brought a friend!" Belarus yells, the sound echoing throughout the spacious clock tower.

Arthur glances around at the inside of the clock tower. To his left is a large winding staircase that goes further up the clock tower. To the right is a hallway that looks like it leads to various bedrooms and other rooms. In front of him is a lone doorway, but he can't see what it leads to as there is a tall man standing in it, blocking whatever is behind him from sight. He has long dark blue hair, some of it tied back by a golden ribbon, dark blue eyes covered by a pair of glasses, somewhat pale skin, and is wearing a long black coat with gold trimmings and a gold vest underneath, a clock tie and a clock earring, and black pants and shoes.

"That's nothing unusual. Either everyone shows up here looking for you or you bring them. Which one is it this time?" The man says. This must be Julius. He glances at me, looking a bit surprised.

"Who is this?" He asks suspiciously.

"This is Arthur Kirkland. He's an acquaintance from my world." Julius' eyes widen.

"Does that mean he is the new player?"

"No!" Belarus shouts, startling both Julius and I.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asks, a bit concerned at her sudden exclamation. Come to think of it, she was also this defensive when that Blood guy and those twins asked if I am the 'new player.' What do they mean by 'player'?

"I'm fine." Belarus says. "I just...I don't want you to get caught up in this world like I did."

I see a twinge of hurt in Julius' eyes before he masks it and turns to me. "It's nice to meet you, I am Julius Monrey."

"I know" Arthur says. "Natalia told me that you and her are the only residents in the clock tower, so when I saw you, I figured you must be Julius."

Julius looks confused. "Who is Natalia?"

Arthur points to Belarus. "She is Natalia. That's part of the reason we came here. She said she would answer my questions and that the clock tower is the best place to hide from prying eyes."

"Most prying eyes." Belarus mutters. A knowing look crosses Julius' face. Arthur decides not to question it.

"Okay, mind if I join in on the explanation then? I'm a bit confused myself." Julius says.

"That was the plan." Belarus says, smiling at Julius, which once again shocks Arthur. "It would be easier to explain to both of you at the same time, so ask away."

"Why did he call you Natalia?" Julius asks.

"Natalia is my real name. Alice Liddell was just a fake identity given to me by Nightmare. He gave me fake memories and made me think my sister was dead, but in reality, she is alive and well." Belarus explains. Julius looks shocked.

"Why would Nightmare do that?"

"I don't know. The next time I see him, I'll ask him."

To Belarus and Julius' surprise, Arthur stays silent. They would have thought for sure that he would ask who Nightmare is, but it looks not. This is a bit suspicious to Belarus and Julius, but they decide to leave it alone for now. They have more important matters to discuss.

"I hope this won't change the way you act around me. I may not be Alice, but I am still somewhat the person you have gotten to know." Belarus says to Julius.

"What do you mean by somewhat?"

"I'm a different person when I'm around fellow acquaintances from my world. Just ask Arthur." Belarus says, grinning a little. "I have only shown you, my family and the other residents of Wonderland the other side of myself. Well, now that I think of it, I have now also shown Arthur this side of myself."

_So that is why she is different. _Arthur thinks. _She was hiding a part of herself from everyone but her siblings. _

"That grinning tells me I really don't want to know the other side of you." Julius says warily.

"Smart man." Arthur says, chuckling.

"Your turn to question me Arthur." Belarus says.

"Alright. The only thing I want to know is how you ended up here and what is this about a game?"

"I was reading with my sister, but I got bored and fell asleep. When I woke up she asked me if I wanted to do something more fun like play cards, which I agreed, so she went into the house to get the deck. While she was gone, I saw a rabbit with clothes and a pocket watch. He wanted me to follow him, but I refused. That's when he turned into a man with bunny ears and a tail, kind of like Elliot, picked me up, and threw me into a large hole in the ground. I ended up here in Wonderland. The rabbit guy turned out to be Peter White, one of the most dangerous residents of Wonderland. He stalks me a lot, declaring he loves me. Now I know how brother feels. As for the game, when outsiders like us enter Wonderland, they are almost always forced to participate in a game. Games are like the cornerstone of Wonderland. Everyone, especially the role-holders, participate in some type of game. For outsiders, the game is usually drinking a vial of liquid that keeps them in Wonderland. The only way they can go home is if they explore Wonderland and meet people to fill the vial back up. Peter White was the one who forced me to drink the vial, and I had played the game and went home, but then that jerk Blood Dupre brought me back."

"Is that why you're so defensive of me?" Arthur asks, a little stunned at Belarus' story, but not too surprised. Something about Wonderland and the name Peter White seems familiar to him, but he doesn't know why. He is sure he's never been here before.

"Yes. As I said earlier, I don't want to see you stuck in the same situation as me. So far, it looks like you haven't drunk out of the vial necessary to keep you here, so you're not part of the game. At least not yet. Blood wasn't kidding when he said outsiders are always drawn into the game somehow."

"I wouldn't worry about me Natalia. You know I have my ways of getting out of things." Belarus knows Arthur is talking about his magic. She is one of few nations who knows he really does have magic. The others think Arthur is just loony, yet the fact that he is here is proof enough.

"I know, but I still want you to be careful while you're here. There are some shady residents like Peter White and Blood Dupre that might try something with you. No one in this world thinks twice about shooting someone because life is not important here since all of the residents hearts are replaced with clocks that can be easily fixed and made into a new person."

"It's true. I'm the one who fixes the clocks." Julius says.

"Hmm...is that so? Nothing we haven't seen before, but it sounds more intense to me." Arthur says. Of course they know, they are nations. People being merciless and killing others is nothing new to them, but they had the reason of war to back them up whereas from what Belarus says, these Wonderland residents seem to shoot others merely as a game or if that person is in the way.

Belarus nods. "Do you have anymore questions?"

"Not right now, but I'm sure I'll have some later as I explore more of Wonderland."

"Oh you definitely will. This place is weird and crazy, though you are used to crazy."

"Too true."

Belarus turns to Julius. "I'm sure you want to get back to work, so I'll show Arthur around Wonderland. I want to make sure nothing surprises him to much like it did me."

Julius nods. "That would probably be a good idea. I'll see you later then." He turns around, walking back into the room that Arthur has yet to see. Once he is out of the doorway, Arthur gets a slight glance of what looks to be an office with many clocks hanging on the walls before he is pulled outside by Belarus.

"Time to show you around this crazy world. I hope you're ready it!"

* * *

"So he's here you say?"

"That's correct."

"What should we do then? He's dangerous. He could bring Belarus back to her world at any time."

"I don't think he's aware that he can yet, so I think we should take advantage of this."

"How?"

"By making sure he becomes a part of the game."

* * *

**Sorry if Julius seemed OOC, though I don't think he was too much. Anyway, who do you think the people are talking at the end of this chapter?**


End file.
